19/09/2026
𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄.
𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒.
𝑴𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒐 𝑷𝒂, 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒐 𝑴𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒐 𝑵𝒂
“𝑳𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒈.”
For 𝐉𝐨𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐲𝐧 “𝐉𝐋” 𝐀𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐨, these two words have become more than just a reminder to keep going. They have been part of her story since she first joined McDonald’s SM Baguio in 2018.
JL was only 16 and in Grade 11 when she started working. At that age, most teenagers were focused on school and figuring out what they wanted to do next. For JL, there was something more important to think about: helping her family.
Her mother had suffered a stroke that left the right side of her body paralyzed. Even with her condition, she continues to work as a cook.
Her father, a former OFW, spent five years working in Bahrain and another three years in Qatar. While in Qatar, he was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer. He spent two years in the hospital before he was finally able to return home to the Philippines.
For the family, those years were difficult. But they held on.
Eventually, they received the news they had been hoping for—JL’s father was declared cancer-free.
Today, he continues to take on on-call carpentry jobs to help support the family.
JL also had her own challenges to face.
When the pandemic shifted classes online, she had to stop going to school for two years. Without Wi-Fi or a laptop at home, continuing her studies was not an option at the time.
When she finally returned to college, she knew she had to support herself because of their family’s financial situation.
So, she worked and studied at the same time.
And she kept going. Laban lang.
McDonald’s Baguio-Benguet became a big part of that journey.
JL was given the opportunity to become a McDonald’s scholar three times—in 2019, 2023, and 2025. The support helped her stay in school and continue working toward the goal she had held on to for years: finishing her education.
For JL, McDonald’s became more than just the place where she worked. It became a place where she found people who cared about her and understood what she was going through.
She experienced the meaning of malasakit firsthand.
She is especially grateful to the Owners and the Management Team who gave her the opportunity to work while continuing her studies. Their support gave her a chance to build a future for herself while helping her family along the way.
Over the years, JL also grew in her role at McDonald’s.
In 2022, she was promoted to Crew Trainer.
Some of the crew members she once trained have since become Crew Trainers themselves. For JL, seeing them grow is something she takes pride in. She knows what it feels like to be given a chance, and she is happy to be able to give that same encouragement to others.
But JL still has bigger dreams.
After graduation, she hopes to become part of the McDonald’s Management Team.
For her, becoming a manager would be more than a promotion. It would be an opportunity to give back—to the people who supported her, to the crew she has worked with, and to the company that became part of her journey.
Looking back, it is hard to imagine how much has changed since that 16-year-old Grade 11 student first walked into McDonald’s.
She started with one goal: to help her family.
Along the way, she became a scholar, a Crew Trainer, a mentor, and someone who continues to work toward her dreams despite the challenges that came her way.
JL knows she still has a long way to go.
But she also knows she has already come a long way.
“Malayo pa, pero malayo na.”
And for JL, that's enough reason to keep going.
Laban lang.
